The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie -- Day 96

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, tells the story of a landmark bookstore located for many years near the corner of 125^th Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City, just around the corner from the Apollo Theater. To a welcoming community it supplied not only books but a meeting place, a talking place, a cultural home. It was founded and run for over forty years by Lewis Michaux. He started his bookstore as a pushcart; “with five books and a mission…he had something in his heart he believed in” and had to scratch that itch. Readers are invited to take a wonderful informative leap into this literary history through the eyes of Lewis’s son Lewis Jr. From the start, Lewis’s father believed the National Memorial African Bookstore was “The House of Common Sense and Home of Proper Propaganda,” meaning an outstanding collection of books by and about black people. Young Lewis remembers with awe when famous people like Muhammed Ali and Malcolm X came by the bookstore and sometimes spoke on a platform out front. He remembers that anyone could come in off the street and read a book, even if they never ever bought one. Lewis’s father believed that history could be learned by reading books, and people could learn from each other by sharing ideas: “Knowledge is power. You need it every hour. READ A BOOK!” Artist R. Gregory Christie combines expressive paintings with bold aphorisms used by bookseller Michaux, a perfect complement to the story. A more detailed biography of Lewis Henri Michaux is included at the end along with an author’s note and selected bibliography for further reading. This book reminds us in no uncertain terms that bookstores have played a transformative role in community after community across the nation. One need only consider such stores as Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., and City Lights on the other side of the country in San Francisco and be glad that in between, thousands of community bookstores welcome customers every day to experience the power of books and reading. Ages 7-11.

In Sarah Stewart’s The Library, delightfully illustrated by David Small, we see a passion for books expressed in another way. Fictional Elizabeth Brown (based on a real person the author knew) “didn’t like to play with dolls…she didn’t like to skate…she learned to read quite early and at an incredible rate.” Well, Elizabeth always had a book with her and read wherever she was. She gathered so many books they were piled on chairs and spread across the floor; indeed, it became hard to get in the front door. Finally, when Elizabeth faced the fact that she could not add one more book, she marched to town hall and donated her books to establish “Elizabeth Brown Free Library.” Thereafter, she walked to the library to borrow books! Ages 5-9.

The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial, by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis -- Day 95

In The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial, by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, readers learn about a very long journey that began with one step. More than one hundred years before the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court making school segregation unconstitutional, a family in Boston made their own case for “separate is never equal” in education. In April 1847, four-year-old Sarah Roberts began attending the Otis School near her home. Suddenly one day she was escorted from school by a policeman entrusted with enforcing Boston’s rule that African American children must attend their own school. Such schools were inadequately supplied and very far from home. Sarah’s parents stepped forward to fight this injustice, joining with lawyers Robert Morris and Charles Sumner in a case before the Massachusetts Supreme Court. They lost the case but in the process mobilized the sentiments of many people, both black and white; in 1855, Boston officially integrated its schools. In 1950, young Linda Brown’s family in Topeka, Kansas, joined with two hundred other families in several states to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In May 1954, the court, basically in agreement with Charles Sumner’s argument a century earlier, declared that separate schools can never be equal, outlawing school segregation across the nation. Author Goodman includes an integration timeline, more information about the story’s participants, and her own notes about the importance of seeking historical accuracy in good nonfiction. The courage shown by Sarah Roberts and those who supported her, plus those in later years who persisted in seeking equality, will be evident to young readers. Ages 7-10.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh, tells the story of another brave step in the fight for educational opportunity, one that took place on the other side of the country. Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, was denied access to a school populated by white children. The Hispanic community was joined by civil rights groups supporting a lawsuit that resulted in the 1947 California ruling against segregation in public schools. Ages 9 up.

My Great-Aunt Arizona, by Gloria Houston, illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb -- Day 94

Author Gloria Houston’s great-aunt Arizona was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains in a log cabin her father built. She was named by her older brother, a cavalryman out West who said: “Please name her Arizona, and she will be beautiful, like this land.” Arizona never saw the land for which she was named, but she did make a big difference right there in the mountains of her home. Arizona loved to explore, to read, and to attend lessons in their one-room school called a blab school because all the students read aloud at once. Eventually Arizona was able to go away to a school where she learned to be a teacher; then she returned to teach in the very community where she grew up. “She grew flowers in every window. She taught students about words and numbers and the distant places they would visit someday.”  When generation after generation of students asked if she had been to faraway places, she said “Only in my mind, but someday you will go.” This graceful picture book is based on a real person — a quiet and loving teacher who meant the world to her students. For fifty-seven years Houston’s great-aunt Arizona hugged, taught and encouraged students; the dedication for My Great-Aunt Arizona reads: “For all teachers, members of the most influential profession in the world.” Susan Condie Lamb’s illustrations convey the beauty of the Blue Ridge setting and Arizona’s warmth. Though today’s classrooms are vastly different one from another and the teaching profession may not seem as clement as it was for Arizona, it remains absolutely true that good teachers hold special places in students’ hearts. Ages 5-8.

Patricia Polacco’s Thank You, Mr. Falker is another true story of an important teacher. Polacco grew up in a book-loving family; she loved to draw and listen to stories. But she spent years as a child unable to decipher letters and numbers on a page, mercilessly teased by classmates for being dumb. That is, until fifth grade when tall, elegant, kind Mr. Falker figured out that she really could not read and, with the help of a reading specialist, unlocked the world of words for Trisha. “The rest of the year became an odyssey of discovery and adventure…” Polacco urges students to remember to say thank you to all the teachers they appreciate! Ages 5-9.

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, by Rochelle Strauss, illustrated by Rosemary Woods -- Day 93

No matter how thoroughly you know the world of science, some basic facts continue to bring amazement and appreciation. One such fact is that all water on our planet Earth is connected: “There really is just one source of water—one global well—from which we all draw our water." Raindrops, lakes, rivers, oceans, icecaps, the atmosphere and all plants are part of the great water cycle that sustains life on the Earth. The view of Earth from space shows a largely blue globe, blue because almost seventy percent of its surface is covered with water. One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, written by Rochelle Strauss and illustrated by Rosemary Woods, elucidates the process by which water we can see—in flowing streams, clouds, coming out of our faucets—combines with the water we can’t easily see—in plants, groundwater beneath the surface, between grains of sand and inside organic beings—to supply the shared global well. Plants and animals, including humans of course, depend on the well and maintain a dynamic relationship to it through various processes. Natural habitats thrive or suffer depending on access to water. Our manmade world, through industry, agriculture and just daily living and the products we use, places a huge demand on the well. When you consider that almost 97 percent of water on Earth is saltwater yet we are dependent on fresh water for survival, and that in North America our average daily use of water far exceeds that of any other continent, our need to conserve water and to consider ways to use it better becomes very evident. This excellent book is part of Citizenkid, a collection of books that informs young readers about our global society and encourages active participation as global citizens. Ages 8-12.

Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water is a riveting novel based on the true story of a remarkable young man, Salva Dut, who, after escaping civil war in Sudan, emigrates to the United States and eventually identifies a way he can contribute to helping one of Sudan’s greatest crises: gaining access to clean water. Says author Park: "Meeting Salva was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. His story is both horrifying and uplifting, a testament to the strength of the human spirit against the worst adversities, and the generosity in people's hearts when we're at our best. I wrote this book because I want young readers to know that there are people like Salva in this world, to admire and maybe even to emulate however we can." Ages 10-12.

Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics, by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael López -- Day 92

Cuban American poet and novelist Margarita Engle addresses readers in what at first seems a cautionary introductory note: “This is not a book about the most famous Hispanics.” But what follows is a gloriously rich compendium of biographical poems about remarkable Hispanic Americans from many walks of life, some of whom were born in the United States and others who came as immigrants, refugees or exiles. Each is celebrated in free verse, chronologically by birth date, and artist Rafael López superbly depicts each in bold and colorful portraits. Carefully chosen words quietly convey the subjects' hopes and accomplishments, providing wonderful insight into the multifaceted legacy of their lives — sports, music, activism, science; Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Venezuela… Included are Juan de Miralles, Félix Varela, Juana Briones, Paulina Pedroso, José Martí, Ynés Mexía, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Aída de Acosta, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, Arnold Rojas, Pura Belpré, George Meléndez Wright, Baruj Benacerraf, Tito Puente, César Chávez, Roberto Clemente, and Tomás Rivera. Fuller biographical notes end the book, and “more and more amazing Latinos” are mentioned, inviting further exploration. Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics is a true gift, ideal for ages 8-12 but enjoyable for anyone who loves to learn about interesting individuals.

Margarita Engle writes about her first fourteen years in Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings. Her life, then and later, spanned two cultures which often collided over the decades as Cuba and the United States navigated a difficult relationship. Beautifully composed, Engle’s memoir invites readers to travel with her as she strives to connect the threads: “May this little book of childhood memories serve as one of José Martí’s white roses — a poetic plea for a chance to treat neighbors like friends.” Age 11 up.